Take A Coffee Break Before Your Next Job Interview

Sure, we all know that it’s as disastrous to arrive late for a job interview as it is to submit your resume written in crayon. But have you ever thought about what happens if you arrive early? According to resume consultant Adam Sterling, arriving early disrupts your interviewers’ schedules and creates tension.

Why is arriving too early a blow to your chances of winning the job? The answer is quite simple. One of the primary goals of the interview process is to determine a prospective candidate’s understanding of, and ability to operate within, the norms of a professional environment. One of those norms is an understanding of how your actions impact others around you and your respect for your co-workers schedules and time. Showing up early, or late, for an interview (or for any business meeting) is disruptive to the person you are meeting. To understand this, consider what occurs when you arrive early. The people with whom you are meeting will be notified that you have arrived. From a cultural perspective, most people don’t feel comfortable making someone wait for them as it is considered rude-so the person you are meeting now has two options: a) they can interrupt their schedule to meet with you early, or b) wait for the scheduled time and be made to feel anxious about making you wait. In either case, you have made a bad first impression.

Do what I do when I arrive early to a job interview: Conduct your own interview of the neighborhood. Explore the area, looking for potential sources of coffee or lunch in the area around the office.